ZHENGZHOU - The Intermediate People's Court of the city of Jiaozuo in central Henan province opened court on Monday morning in the case of the production and sale of clenbuterol, a poisonous chemical that boosts the output of lean meat.

The hearing, the court of first instance, is open to public.

Liu Xiang, Xi Zhongjie, Xiao Bing, Chen Yuwei and Liu Honglin, producers and dealers of clenbuterol, are being prosecuted for the crime of "endangering public security by using dangerous means".

Liu Honglin is being sued as an accomplice for purchasing raw materials for clenbuterol production, while the others as principal defendants, according to the indictment.

The indictment also states that the five suspects, despite possessing knowledge of the harm of clenbuterol, nevertheless became involved in the production and sale of it.

Liu Xiang and Xi Zhongjie were responsible for producing and selling over 2,700 kilograms of clenbuterol, generating an illegal profit of 2.5 million yuan ($387,000); Zhengzhou-based Chen Yuwei was responsible for selling over 600 kilograms of clenbuterol, generating a profit of 700,000 yuan; Luoyang-based Xiao Bing sold 1,300 kilograms, raking in a profit of more than 600,000 yuan.

The clenbuterol they produced or sold was distributed to eight provincial regions, including Henan, Shandong and Jiangsu, the indictment says.

In March, the China Central Television reported that some pork producers had used pork tainted with the fat-burning drug clenbuterol in its products.

Clenbuterol is a chemical that can be fed to pigs to make them leaner and come to market sooner. The chemical is poisonous to humans and is banned as an additive in stock feed in China.